1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring hand washing. A soap with a particular feature (e.g., color and opaqueness) that allows it to be differentiated from a user's hands and a background is also disclosed.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
According to Restaurant News, "The unwashed or poorly washed hands of food service workers leads to an estimated 12.5 million cases of food borne illnesses in the U.S. each year." Recent outbreaks and deaths due to salmonella and E. coli food poisoning have re-focused industries' attention on the on-going neglect of proper hand washing by food service employees.
Food service establishments have rules concerning hand washing but the honor system does not work. An employee could be posted in each rest room to oversee washing but this is costly and raises privacy issues. What is needed is an effective method to monitor compliance.
There is only one hand washing monitoring system on the market at the present time. The system is sold by UltraClenz Corporation and comes with a digital readout screen that leads employees step by step through a complete "hand washing cycle."
The UltraClenz system controls hot and cold water valves on an accompanying stainless steel sink dedicated to hand washings. An employee enters his or her identification number into the system's keyboard and a readout screen instructs the employee to wet his or her hands. Water flows automatically from the faucet for 10 seconds, after which the employee is instructed to "Apply soap" by placing his or her hands below a dispenser. The employee is then supposed to lather and scrub for a recommended 20-second period. If the employee avoids the "Apply Soap" phase, the program will shut down and must be re-initiated by entering the employee's identification code. What the employee does with the soap and whether he or she lathers and scrubs is not monitored. The 20-seconds are displayed as a "count-down" on the monitor and, at the end of the period, the water is automatically turned on again for rinsing. When the rinse water stops, the employee is instructed to dry his or her hands thoroughly. Completion of the "hand washing cycle" is confirmed and registered when an employee waves his or her hand in front of an electronic sensor.
While the focus of the discussion has been on food service workers, a rash of reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet and other medical journals cite studies linking the breakdown of basic hygiene to outbreaks of bacterial and viral illness in hospitals, nursing homes and child-care centers. An effective method for monitoring hand washing in these institutions would also be useful.